by Niccolo Dante Porcello (@chromechompsky)
Philadelphia’s Mumblr are back with “VHS,” the third single from their upcoming full length The Never Ending Get Down. “VHS” finds Mumblr continuing to make the pulsating, catchy rock that defined 2014’s Full of Snakes, and that has become a highly specific sonic identity for the band. Singer Nick Morrison’s voice has the incredible quality of driving Mumblr songs to their outermost limits, functioning as a fifth instrument floating above the mix, and in “VHS” this is on full display. As passages alternate between softer and quieter Morrison’s remarkable vocal tone fleshes out the rest of the band’s movements: throwing light on the wonderfully tight rhythm section, and the riffy guitar lines that give “VHS” its musical hook. Speaking about The Never Ending Get Down, Morrison says the album is “very blue . . . kind of lethargic and the lyrics don't ever really complete a linear thought.” This seems to not apply in the case of “VHS,” where as the band floats around Morrison’s paean: “stop! I’m close enough to see you camera/ because I don’t wanna be with you” there seems to be little melancholy. Indeed this is part of the beauty of Mumblr: their ability to elucidate emotive phrases (both musically and lyrically) in relatively simple, and deeply catchy ways and “VHS” is this perfectly wrought.
Their new LP The Never Ending Get Down is out June 10th via Fleeting Youth Records. It is available for pre-order here.